New Species - Ceratophyllum demersum
Family - Ceratophyllaceae
Also known as Ceratophyllum apiculatum, Coontail, Rigid Hornwort

Leaves of this rootless submerged aquatic plant are stiff a bright olive green and sessile in whorls of 5-12 for each node, 19-32 (0.75-1.25in) long, they curve upward becoming more densely packed towards the tip resulting in the "Coontail" appearance. Stems are smooth and fragile, their length varying with water depth with the lower part anchored in the bottom sediment but can reach 4M (13ft). Very small green flowers appear from June to September, of both male ♂ and female ♀ forms in the leaf axils on the same plant. The plant is a good oxygenator and can be found in neutral or alkaline waters from very slow flowing water to lakes, ponds and marshes over most of the planet, but less so in Northern climes. Propagation by a small 4-7mm (0.15-0.3in) seeds or plant pieces, the seeds are eaten by some waterfowl. It is an important plant habitat species for many aquatic invertebrates and can often be found with Elodea and Potamogeton species.

Its name is derived from the Greek "keras" meaning horn and "phyllon" for leaf and demersum, from the Latin "demersus" for "under water". Common name derived from the foliage shape and Anglo Saxon "wort" meaning , "plant". Propagation is by division with very small pieces of stem growing into a new plant. It excretes toxins affecting algae and can efficiently inhibit algae growth. The genus is not completely defined with two main species, Ceratophyllum demersum (Common hornwort) and C. submersum (Tropical Hornwort) with over thirty other species listed, probably variants of the two main species.

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